Bandages



Oct. 24, 1961 w. H. BIRD 3,005,454

BANDAGES Filed Feb. 13, 1958 INVENTOR MULLLAAI H BhQD ATTORNEY Filed Feb. 13, 1958, Ser. No. 715,663 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-171) This invention relates to bandages, and more particularly to elastic bandages provided with means for securing them in place upon a limb or other portion of a body.

Elastic bandages have been used extensively for many years. When wrapped about a limb or a portion of the body in the usual manner, an elastic bandage provides a yielding support which is desirable in the treatment of various disorders. By way of example, it may be mentioned that elastic bandages often are used in the treatment of sprained ankles and wrists. Elastic bandages also are used to hold wound dressings in place upon parts of the body which move to such an extent as to make the use of ordinary adhesive tape impractical.

The conventional elastic bandage is an elongated strip of fabric containing elastic threads or yarns or inelastic threads or yarns which have been so fabricated, such as by knit-ting or weaving, as to create suflicient elasticity and acceptable stretch characteristics in the resulting fabric. This strip is applied to a limb by wrapping it about the limb in a plurality of convolutions so that the inner end of the strip is held in position against the skin of the patient by the pressure and friction produced by succeeding convolutions. The outer end of the strip is placed under tension and is secured to the convolution immediately beneath it to hold the entire bandage in place.

Prior to the present invention, the outer end portion of an elastic bandage ordinarily was secured to the convolution immediately beneath it by pin or clip means of some kind. Conventional safety pins have been used for this purpose. Special clip devices also have been employed extensively. Although there have been some structural variations in these clip devices, the most popular ones have been double pin structures.

A typical clip of this type consists of two sets of prongs or pins disposed upon opposite ends of a metal plate. In use, the metal plate overlies the juncture between the outer end of the elastic strip and the convolution beneath it, and the pins penetrate the fabric in both the end portion of the strip andn the convolution beneath it. Since the bandage is under tension, the fabric itself exerts forces upon the pins of the clip tending to hold the clip in place.

However, the use of both safety pins and the ordinary clip devices is subject to certain disadvantages and objections. Safety pins are bulky and unsightly. The conventional clips overcome these particular disadvantages, but they are less secure than safety pins. Unless the elastic strip is wound under considerable tension, there is a very real likelihood that such a clip will become disengaged as the patient moves about.

It should be pointed out also that elastic bandages frequently are removed and reapplied by the patients themselves. These manipulations are carried out in all sorts of places and under all sorts of conditions. When this factor is taken into consideration, it will be evident that the use of safety pins and clip devices for fastening elastic bandages is subject to still another objection. Since these devices are not attached in a permanent way to the fabric strip of the bandage, they sometimes are misplaced and lost during bandage-changing operations. In instances where replacements are not readily available, this can result in serious inconvenience.

Another objection which exists in the use of such de- 3,W5,454 Patented Qct. 24, 1961 vices containing sharp points is the possibility of one accidently sticking himself during the application of the bandage or during its use.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the objections and disadvantages mentioned above, and to provide an elastic bandage with improved fastener means which will be attractive in appearance, comfortable in use, and which need not be separated from the fabric of the bandage during bandage-changing operations.

Another object of this invention is to provide an elastic bandage with fastener means permanently associated therewith and so constructed as to permit any adjustments that may be required in fitting the bandage to limbs of different sizes or in changing the tension in the bandage.

The foregoing objects may be accomplished, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, by providing an elastic bandage with a pair of separable fastener components. One of these components is attached to an end of the fabric strip, and the other is mounted upon the fabric strip intermediate the ends of the strip. When the bandage is applied to a limb in the usual way, the second-mentioned separable fastener component will be located on the convolution immediately below the outer end of the strip of fabric, in position to cooperate with the fastener component attached to such end. When this positional relationship exists, the two fastener components may be connected together to secure the elastic bandage in place on the limb.

It is to be appreciated that the adjustable component is normally positioned on the elastic bandage at a point less than one complete convolution from the end of the bandage when it is in relaxed condition. Such is necessary so that such a length can be stretched into a complete convolution to create tension therein normally equal to the tension in the previously-positioned convolutions.

Since the length of the last convolution of an elastic bandage will vary in accordance with the size of the limb upon which the bandage is used and in accordance with the tension under which the bandage is applied, it is an important feature of the present invention that the two separable fastener components be mounted upon the fabric strip in such a manner as to permit the space between them to be varied when necessary. One fastener component may be fixed permanently to the outer end of the fabric strip, but the other fastener component must be capable of movement along the fabric strip for purposes of adjustment. After an adjustment has been made, the movable component is held in the desired position by the pressure of the elastic fabric and by teeth which engage the threads of the fabric.

The separable fastener components employed in the present invention preferably are small, inexpensive elements which can be manufactured economically and which add little to the bulk of an elastic bandage. Additionally, it is preferred that the fastener component which is to be disposed intermediate the ends of the fabric strip be flexible, so that it may conform somewhat to the curvature of the limb to which the bandage is applied. When a flexible fastener component is employed for this purpose, both the appearance of the bandage and the comfort of the patient are enhanced.

A better understanding of the construction and the advantages of the present invention may be gained from a consideration of the following detailed description of certain embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an elastic bandage applied to a limb and held in place by fastening means constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic end elevational view illustrating the relationship between several con- 3 volutions of an elastic bandage and the fastener means shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded plan view of the separable fastener components employed in the bandage of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of one of the fastener components of FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view illustrating the manner in which the separable fastener components of FIGS. 1 to 3 cooperate with each other and with portions of the clastic fabric in securing a bandage in place;

PK 6 is a partial plan view of another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view similar to PEG. 5, but showing the embodiment of FIG. 6.

Referring initially to FIG. 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that the present invention may be applied to a limb L, or to the body of a person for that matter, in much the same way that elastic bandages have been applied in the past. One end of an elongated strip of elastic fabric 2-, which preferably is of knitted or woven construction, is brought into contact with the skin of the patient, and the strip is wound around the limb L in a plurality of convolutions. Successive ones of the convolutions coincide or overlap, so that all convolutions except the last one are held in place by friction. The last convolution is held in place by fastener means which connects the outer end portion 6 of the fabric strip 2 to an intermediate portion 8 of the fabric strip 2.

In accordance with the present invention, the fastener 4 is a separable fastening and includes components which are mounted respectively adj stably on an intermediate portion 8 of the fabric strip 2 and fixedly on the outer end 6 of the fabric strip 2. In FIGS. 1 through 5, the fastener component mounted upon the intermediate portion 8 of the fabric strip 2 has been designated by the numeral 10. It is of a width slightly greater than the width of the fabric strip 2 and is provided with an opening 12 for receiving the intermediate portion 8 of the fabric strip 2.

The opening 12 should be large enough to permit the fastener component It to be moved freely along the intermediate portion 8 of the fabric strip 2, when desired. However, the rear wall of the opening 12 preferably is provided with upwardly directed serrations or teeth 14, which may be brought into engagement with the threads of the elastic fabric 2 to hold the component it) in the desired positional relationship with respect to the intermedi ate portion 8 of the fabric strip 2.

As best shown in FIG. 5, the central portion of the front wall 35 of the component 10 is elevated slightly and is provided with a plurality of openings or holes 16. These holes 16 cooperate with clips or hooks 18 secured by stitches 20, or other suitable means, to the outer end portion 6 of the fabric strip 2. The hooks 18 conveniently may be identical to those employed by the clothing industry in hook-and-eye fasteners.

It is anticipated that an elastic bandage according to the present invention normally will be furnished to the user with the components it and 18 of the fastening means 4 already in position on the strip of elastic fabric. The user may wrap the strip 2 about a limb in the usual fashion until the last convolution is approached. Then, the component 10 should be moved along the intermediate portion 8 of the fabric strip 2 to a location adjacent that which will be occupied by the outer end 6 of the strip 2 when stretched. When the component it) is in this position, the outer end 6 of the strip 2 may be connected to the component it by stretching the bandage and engaging the hooks 18 with the holes 16 in the component 10.

Since the elastic fabric 2 is under tension, the end portion 6 of the fabric will exert a force upon the component It tending to move it around the limb L in a direction which would loosen the bandage, i.e., to the right as viewed in FIG. 2. This tendency is counteracted eifectively in the illustrated construction by frictional forces and by the holding action of the teeth 14.

The frictional forces exerted upon the component It will depend to some extent upon the tension under which the elastic strip 2 is applied. The last convolution of the strip 2 overlies a substantial portion of the component 10 and presses it into contact with the convolutions therebeneath. If the strip 2, is under substantial tension, this pressing action may result in frictional forces large enough to hold the component it) in place during use.

The nature of the holding action effected by the teeth 14 and the pressure of the bandage on component 10 of the fastener will be evident from FIG. 5 of the drawings. The force applied to the component 14 by the tensioned end portion 6 of the elastic fabric 2 tends to move the component 19 to the right in this view. However, any such movement of the component 11) relative to the intermediate portion 8 of the fabric strip 2 causes the teeth 14 to dig into the fabric and lock the component 19 in position on the intermediate portion 8 of the fabric strip.

Nevertheless, the component it of the fastening 4 may be moved along the intermediate portion 8 of the fabric strip 2 in both directions when adjustments are required. When it is desired to condition the fastener 4 so as to permit movement of the component 10, the hooks 18 usually will be disengaged from the openings 16 to relieve the tension in the fabric 2, and the component 19 will be moved a short distance to the left, as viewed in FIG. 5, to withdraw the teeth 14 from the fabric 2. Then, the component it) may be rotated slightly to position the teeth 14 so that they will not re-engage the fabric 2 when the component it is moved along the fabric. After the desired position has been reached, the component 10 may be held in place as described above.

it is preferred that the component 10 be made of a thermoplastic or tnerrnosetting synthetic plastic material. Nylon, cellulose actate, urea-formaldehyde, and melamine-formaldehyde are examples of materials which are suitable for this purpose. The material selected should be one which will not be adversely affected by prolonged contact with the skin of the patient and one which can be formed economically. Such a material should also have no toxic or other deleterious effects on the skin of the wearer.

An important advantage associated with the use of a material in making the component 1% is suggested in FIG. 2 of the drawings. It will be observed from this view that the component 1% curves somewhat in use so as to conform to the curvature of the limb L to which the bandage is applied. This reduces the bulk of the fastening means 4 and also makes the bandage more comfortable for the patient. This conformability may be obtained either by manufacturing the fastener in the desired curved shape or by using a flexible fastener which can conform to various curves.

Various modifications of the construction shown in FIGS. 1 through 5 will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art. For example, it is not essential that books, such as the hooks 18, be employed to connect the end portion 6 of the elastic strip 2 to the fastener component it}. Other well known separable fastening devices may be employed in the present invention, if desired.

FIGS. 6 and 7 suggest one such modification, in which the hooks 1% and the openings 16 have been replaced by slide fastener elements. In order to preserve continuity, the reference numerals applied in FIGS. 6 and 7 include the letter a preceded by numerals which correspond to the numerals applied to similar parts in FIGS. 1 through 5.

The elastic fabric 2a is identical in all respects to the elastic fabric 2. It includes an intermediate portion 3a and an outer end portion 6a. The movable fastener component 16in in FIGS. 6 and 7 is similar to the component 16 described above, but its front wall 15a has embedded therein, or otherwise secured thereto, a small fabric tab 22, and there are no holes corresponding to the holes 16 in the other embodiment.

Secured to the free edge of the tab 22 is one element 24 of a slide fastener combination. The other slide fastener element 26 is secured to the end 6a of the fabric strip 2a. As shown, the element 26 is attached directly to the end portion 6a of the elastic fabric 2, but it will be apparent that the element 26 might be provided with a tab, similar to the tab 22, and this tab could be sewn, or otherwise secured, to the end portion 6a of the strip, if desired. In order that the elements 24 and 26 of the slide fastener combination may be connected together and disconnected in the usual Way, one or the other of them carries a suitable slide device 28 of conventional construction.

The procedure for using the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is similar to that described above. After the elastic strip 2a has been wound around a limb, the component a is shifted along the intermediate portion 8a of the strip 2a to locate the slide fastener element 24 just opposite the position which will be occupied by the slide fastener element 26 after the outer end portion 6a of the strip has been laid in place. When the slide fastener elements 24 and 26 are brought together, the slide device 28 may be manipulated to connect the end portion 6a of the elastic strip to the component 10.

Still other modifications and variations will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. It is intended therefore that the foregoing detailed description of certain embodiments of the invention be considered as exemplary only, and that the scope of the invention be ascertained from the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An article of manufacture comprising a strip of elastic bandage material adapted to be wrapped around the portion of a patients body to be bandaged in a plurality of overlapping convolutions so that the inner end thereof will be held in place by succeeding convolutions, a first fastener component of a flexible material of sulficient flexibility to conform to the curvature of the underlying convolutions of said strip when wrapped around said body portion and having an opening therein receiving a portion of said strip intermediate the ends of said strip and being adjustable along the length of said strip so that it may be spaced from the outer end of the strip a distance substantially corresponding to the length of the outer convolution of the stretched strip, an outer portion of said first fastener component being disposed adjacent the outer face of the portion of said strip passing through said opening and an inner portion of said first fastener component being disposed adjacent the inner face of the portion of said strip passing through said opening, and a second fastener component fixed to the outer end portion of said strip and being adapted to cooperate with said outer portion of said first fastener component to separably connect said components together so as to secure the outer end portion of said elastic strip with respect to the remainder of said strip when said bandage has been wrapped on a patient, said first fastener component being readily movable along said strip when said bandage is in an unwrapped, extended state and held in position with respect to the remainder of said bandage through frictional engagement of said inner portion of said first fastener with adjacent convolutions of said strip when said bandage is wrapped in overlapping convolutions around a portion of a patients body.

2. An article of manufacture comprising a strip of elastic bandage fabric adapted to be Wrapped around the portion of a patients body to be bandaged in a plurality of overlapping convolutions so that the inner end thereof will be held in place by succeeding convolutions, a first fastener component of a flexible material of sufiicient flexibility to conform to the curvature of the underlying convolutions of said strip when Wrapped around said body portion and having an opening therein receiving a portion of said strip intermediate the ends of said strip and being adjustable along the length of said strip so that it may be spaced from the outer end of the strip a distance corresponding to the length of the outer convolution of the strip, an outer portion of said first fastener component being disposed adjacent the outer face of the portion of said strip passing through said opening and an inner portion of said first fastener component being disposed between the inner face of the portion of said strip passing through said opening and the outer face of a preceding convolution of said strip, said inner portion of said first fastener component having outwardly directed teeth thereon projecting into said opening for increasing the frictional engagement of said inner portion with the upper convolution of said strip when said bandage is wrapped on a patient, and a second fastener component fixed to the outer end portion of said strip and being adapted to cooperate with said outer portion of said first fastener component to separably connect said components together so as to secure the outer end portion of said elastic strip with respect to the remainder of said strip when said bandage has been wrapped on a patient, said first fastener component being readily movable along said strip when said bandage is in an unwrapped, extended state and held in position with respect to the remainder of said bandage through frictional engagement of said inner portion of said first fastener with adjacent convolutions of said strip when said bandage is wrapped in overlapping convolutions around a portion of a patients body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 639,048 Hubbard Dec. 12, 1899 1,212,731 Banks Ian. 16, 1917 2,030,563 Barnes .t Feb. 11, 1936 2,186,819 Buchsbaum Jan. 9, 1940 

